The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-03-24
AWFUL CALAMITY.
The Richmond Hotel at Buffalo
Destroyed by Fire.

The Richmond Hotel at Buffalo
Destroyed by Fire.
Twelve Guests Cremated and Large
Number of Persons Severely In
jured in Making Their Escape
Heartrending Scenes.
LATEST PARTICULARS.
BUFFALO, N. Y, March 19.-Fire was dis
covered at $3.50 o'clock Friday morning in
the New Richmond Hotel The alarm was
sounded, and the fire department responded
promptly. The hotel was opened for busi-
ness about a month ago, and handsomely
fitted and decorated, and was filed with
guests. The fire spread with frightful ra-
pidity, and the guests, rudely awakened
from their slumbers by the horriiying cry
of fire, rushed to the windows and other
possible avenues of escape. When they
saw the flames shutting OF their
way to the ground their heartrend-
ing shrieks could be heard blocks
away. Ladders were raised, and
large number rescued, but it was reported
that at least twelve lives have been lost.
The hotel burned like a tinder box, the cor
ridor in the center of the building acting as
great funnel The fire spread to Bunnelrs
Museum building, adjoining on Eagle street,
and to small frame building adjoining on
Main street, and the three structures were
entirely destroyed. One guest jumped
from fifth-hoor window, on to the roof OF
the frame building mentioned. He was
completely naked, and lay helpless on the
roof. He was taken down and conveyed to
the Accident Hospital.
At the third-foor window two guests
were seen to fall back into the flames.
Three Of the servant girls are thought to
have perished. Two lady guests, one with
a child in her arms, were rescued from the
fifth-floor front at four o'clock. They had
tainted, and narrowly escaped death. An
other guest is at Carney's saloon,
injured internally, and will probably
die. F. II. Bryant, a New York travel
ing man, is badly burned about the
feet and hands Mr.. Stafford, the proprie-
tor Of the hotel, was aroused by the night
clerk, and had barely time to put on coat
and trousers. He stood on the corner oppo-
site his burning hotel for minute, and then
burst into tears, moaning: "My God! My
God Some of them were burned. can't bear
to hear their cries." and he put his hands
to his ears and almost tainted The loss
will be very heavy. The hotel was fitted
up at a cost Of about $4,000, and the build
ing was worth about $50, 900. Bunnelps
and the loss on the interior fittings will
probably amount to $25.000.
William 81. Airport, the night clerk, says:
'oThe fire started in the cloak room under
the main stairway at $3.50 o'clock. There
was nobody up but myself, Joe, the night
| porter, and Plummer, the bell boy. pulled
| all four Of the fire alarms on the different
| floors and the people came flying down
| stairs in their night-clothes. The fire fol-
lowed the elevator and inside of five min
| utes it reached the top floor. rushed out
| of doors after doing all could.''
Bell boy Plummer tells his experience as
| follows: 81 was busting the reading-room
| when I heard a shout and saw the flames
coming up the stairway from the basement
| Mr.. Airport and turned on the hose under
the main stairway. We Strengthened the
hose out and turned the valve, but the water
/ would not run. Then he gave the alarm.
| The watchman and got plank and broke
| in the Eagle street entrance to the hotel
Then we got the plank under the fire escape
on Eagle street and we helped people down.
| think there were about eighty guests in
| the house."
The spread of the flames is said to have
been frightful in its rapidity. The elevator
| shaft served as a flue for the flames and
they rushed up to the top floor in a very few
| moments As the guests were reused and
saw the interior exits cut off they turned to
the windows. They could be seen in their
night-clothes standing out clear and vivid
before the lurid background of the flames.
Their screams were horrible to hear, and
they could be heard for blocks. The flames
| spread to the southeast side OF the hotel
first. The firemen did noble work, and con
fined the fire to the narrow limits of the
three buildings named. Their work Of res
cue had many exciting incidents. The tele
graphs wires, were, as usual, in the way
of the ladder brigade, and much valuable
time was lost in getting the ladders pas
them.
Among the guests in the hotel were about
twenty insurance agents who had come OF
to adjust the losses of the great fire at Mil
ler, Greiner & Co., and the Courier office on
Tuesday.
Perhaps the most thrilling escape of an,
was that of President Whitaker. stepso1
of Proprietor Stafford. He roomed in the
fourth story, and when aroused, stepped tt
the window and looked down for few sec
onds Then he deliberately dressed him
self, and emerging from the window stood
on the stone Gaping above the window be
meath. From this Gaping he stepped to tn,
next one along the front of the building ant
| proceeded in this manner to the Hayes
truck ladder at the other extremity of thu
front. The nerve and GOODNESS dispIaye,
| was remarkable.
| As usual, the fremen were hamperet
terribly by the mass of telegraph wires ant
cables strung in front of the building Of
Main street Some eye witnesses think tn
loss OF life was largely due to the della
caused by the wires.
Hugo V. Altschul, of New York, assiste
a number of women from the burning build
ing. He then made his own escape by leap
| ing from one building to another until b
| reached the corner on Washington an
North Division streets, and thus gained tn
street
William ]. Mann, one of the proprietor
of the house, and his wife, had thrilling ex
/ perience in getting out Mrs. Mann wa
terribly burned about the head, arms an
legs Their little daughter Jennie was ais
badly burned.
| Five girls who roomed on the fifth floo
made rope out of the bed clothes and hun
it out of the window, but none of thel
seemed to have the courage to start. A
last one of the five took hold and swun
done to awindow ledge from which she wa
rescued. Three others came down in tn
same manner, and then the fifth girl starte
down. She had gone but short distanc
when the rope parted and down she wer
four stories Strange to say, she was NJ
killed. Her legs were terribly cut an
bruised, her back badly injured and her fac
and arms were in frightful condition frol
burns.
In front of Dingen Bros store lay dea
man covered by mattress. He had blac
hair and full face which was covered wit
blood and could not be recognized. At fir
it was thought he was Superintendent Mo
ford, Of the Michigan Central railroad, bl
Morford was afterwards found.
? Mark Osborne, day clerk and assistal
, | manager of the hotel, is missing. He sle]
on the south side. 1t is believed that
perished.
b. NJ. johnson, the celebrated sprinter,
Pittsburgh, says: 81 arrived in Buffa
, yesterday and was assigned to room 12
About $3.50 O'Clock the bell boy poundt